Wake Forest University
10-8
Appalachian State
6-9
Wake Forest Holds Off App State, 5-4
3/12/2019 8:47:00 PM | Baseball
Michael Turconi delivered a game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth, while Bobby Hearn and William Fleming tossed 3.0 hitless innings to preserve the win.
Jake Mueller reached base four times on three hits and a walk, while Chris Lanzilli was 2-for-3 with a homer, walk and three RBIs to lead the Demon Deacon (10-8) offense over the Mountaineers (6-9).
Hearn entered on the mound with runners on the corners and nobody out in the top of the seventh. He limited the damage to an RBI groundout and kept the score even at 4-4, tossing 2.0 innings with three strikeouts and allowing just an intentional walk as he went on to earn the win.
With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Brendan Tinsman led off with a walk. Pinch-runner Christian Long advanced to second on a DJ Poteet sacrifice bunt, and Turconi delivered a sharp grounder up the middle for an RBI single.
"That was huge for Turc," head coach Tom Walter said. "He had struggled earlier in the game, having a couple bad at bats and missed a sign. For him, at a young age, to be able to put that aside and recover was impressive. I thought about going to a pinch-hitter but I wanted him to have that at-bat, and he made me look like a genius."
Fleming then entered in the ninth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout for his first-career save.
"Those two guys [Hearn and Fleming] have been really reliable for us," Walter said. "They're the two guys who have been the most consistent and throwing the ball the best. We're certainly really happy with them getting those last nine outs in the clutch."
After App State scored a run in the top of the first, Lanzilli delivered an RBI single to the the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning.
The Deacs took the lead on a Bobby Seymour RBI single in the third inning, and extended the advantage to 4-1 when Lanzilli hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, in the fifth inning.
Ryan Cusick made a strong start for the Deacs, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over 5.0 innings with four strikeouts and left in line for the victory.
App State got solo homers from Kendall McGowan and Bailey Welch in the sixth to cut into the Deacon lead before Hearn and Fleming clinched the victory in the late innings
"I think it's starting to come together for us," Walter added. "I think we're starting to get a little fresher and play some better baseball up and down the lineup."
Wake Forest is back at home this weekend with an ACC series against Boston College.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hearn, Bobby (1-0)
L: Cornatzer, Jason (0-1)
S: Fleming, William (1)
Batting:
HR: McGowan, Kendall 1 ; Welch, Bailey 1
RBI: Drumheller, Luke 1 ; McGowan, Kendall 2 ; Welch, Bailey 1
SF: McGowan, Kendall 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Leshock, Alex 1 ; McGowan, Kendall 1 ; Welch, Bailey 1 ; Leek, Tyler 1
SB: Leshock, Alex 2 ; Leek, Tyler 1 ; Allison, Luke 1
CS: McGowan, Kendall 1 ; Leek, Tyler 1
HBP: Leek, Tyler 1 ; Allison, Luke 1
PO: McGowan, Kendall 1
Batting:
HR: Lanzilli, Chris 1
RBI: Turconi, Michael 1 ; Seymour, Bobby 1 ; Lanzilli, Chris 3
SH: Poteet, DJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mueller, Jake 2 ; Seymour, Bobby 1 ; Lanzilli, Chris 1 ; Long, Christian 1
SB: Mueller, Jake 1 ; Ludowig, Michael 1 ; Lanzilli, Chris 1
CS: Steel, Bruce 1 ; Poteet, DJ 1
